


Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Plus One)—The Please Get Out of My Life (Or At Least My Apartment) Job

by crayonbreakygal



Category: Leverage
Genre: Family, Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 18:43:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16101533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crayonbreakygal/pseuds/crayonbreakygal
Summary: Where did that door lead?  Why had they taken over his apartment?  Nate needed answers.





	Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Plus One)—The Please Get Out of My Life (Or At Least My Apartment) Job

**Author's Note:**

> I keep telling myself I spend way too much time just messing around on Tumblr looking at gifs. Occasionally there are discussions. Someone mentioned Eliot screwing with Nate during the first episode of season two. Chainsawing a hole in the wall in addition to bringing "Old Nate" to hang in Nate's apartment. And here it is. This is my interpretation of what is behind that "door" that Eliot gleefully cut.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Plus One)—The Please Get Out of My Life (Or At Least My Apartment) Job

Takes place season two through season five

 

Nate didn’t understand what Eliot was doing with that chainsaw.  Why was he sawing through the wall? His wall.  His apartment. His personal space.  Was that to another apartment in the building? Since Hardison now owned the whole thing, he was going to do what he wanted.  Nate thought that his place would be a sanctuary, a place where he could go where it would be quiet, neat, and free of the three child-like adults standing right before him.  The look of glee on Eliot’s face as he waved the chainsaw around had him worried.  Both Hardison and Parker hugged Nate, yes hugged him and touched him and made him feel entirely uncomfortable.  The dust from the wall falling to the floor was the last straw. 

As he coughed, the others just smugly stood there, like they were going to get a treat from him or a pat on the back.

“See?  Isn’t this great?” Parker yelled right in his ear.

“What?  How? Why?” was all he could get out because now his lungs were full of dust.

“Any time you need us, we’ll be here,” Hardison said as he smiled Eliot’s way.

“Be here?  At my place? When the three of you have perfectly good places to sleep?”

Hardison looked at him strangely.  “What?  You think we’re gonna move in with you?  You crazy. It’s just for those times when I wanna take a nap. Or something.”

“Oh, nap.”

Something that Nate will probably never get again with these three around for the long haul.

“Oh, you’ve found Old Nate,” Sophie said as she strolled into his apartment.  Did she have keys too?

“I told them to not…,” Nate started.

“Why don’t you hang it over there, over Nate’s desk.  I see you figured out how to get through the wall.”

It figured that Sophie knew about the three’s plans to muck up his apartment with dust and debris. 

“Not hard when you have the right equipment,” Eliot smiled as he started to clear out the debris.

“That’s it. I’m going upstairs.  This better be cleaned up before I come back down. And fix that hole.”

“Fix that hole?  What did you think was gonna happen? Fix that hole. That’s all you care about,” Hardison grumped.

Even though Sophie lightly brushed up against him as he passed by her (he knew exactly what she was attempting), he wanted some peace and quiet.  As he struggled to read with all the noise from downstairs, he realized that the noise could sometimes be soothing. That meant there was life downstairs, people that possibly cared about him, even though they thought he was a jerk and an asshole on occasion.

A few hours later, the noise died down until it was silent downstairs.  Should he go and see what progress had been made?  Nate didn’t want to yell anymore.

As he slowly made his way down the winding stairs, he noticed that the mess Eliot had made was gone. It was as tidy now as it had been before they all had announced they were back in his life for good.  In place of the large hole in the wall was now a door. There was still some work to do around it, like the trim, but it closed just fine.  Old Nate was now hanging over near his desk, staring at the back of his office chair. 

Why had they wanted that big hole in his wall? Was it just their way of telling him that they’d barge their way into his life without his permission?  Opening the door, he glanced around to make sure they all had actually abandoned his apartment for their own abodes. 

This all must have been planned before Eliot cut a hole in the wall. The hallway, a few other doors, it all had to be here before Eliot had completed the door.

The small hallway led to a bathroom to the right. It was utilitarian, shower, all the essentials.  Nate flipped the light on, opening the cabinets to see what could be stored.  Lined up on the shelves were every sort of bandage, drug, whatever Eliot might need to patch them up or himself if need be.  There were a few towels, soap and shampoo.  Everything that someone would need if they were a guest in Nate’s apartment.

Turning the light off, he followed the short hallway down to the end where he found another door.  No creaking occurred as he opened it.  The room was in shadow because the blinds were closed tight, but Nate could still see the outline of a large bed, neatly made with hospital corners.  A large blanket was folded at the end of it.  The other furniture in the room was a dresser and a small chair, big enough for someone to sit and read. That had a floor lamp over it, while the bed had two lamps that were mounted to the wall.  Two small bedside tables rounded out the sparsely furnished room. It looked like any other guest room that he’d seen.  Or a hotel room.  But there wasn’t a TV in sight, nor was there any kind of clock. No personal items strewn about, no shoes peaking out from underneath the bed.

The closet in the room was small, but well organized.  There were five neatly stacked bags on the floor, while a few jackets and other items were hanging.  An extra blanket was sitting on the top shelf along with an extra pillow.  All these items would be used over the course of the next three years in Boston, but Nate didn’t know that as he looked over the things.  They could belong to anyone, he thought. 

Five though was a significant number.  That must have been Eliot’s doing. Five bags, five members, probably bags if they needed to make a run for it.  Take the necessities.  He bet there was even an extra pair of heels for Sophie in one of the bags. The bags were different colors, different sizes, but all fit neatly together.  He bet that the largest one belonged to Hardison just so if he needed the space for electronics.  The smallest one probably belonged to Eliot himself because he always bragged about not traveling with much.  Parker’s would have an extra set of rigging and a warm jacket. She always said her body temperature ran cold.  His would have an extra hat or two along with a pair of sunglasses.  If any of them knew that his weaknesses were hats and sunglasses, no one said anything.  At least they took up less space than Sophie’s shoe collection. Plus having a dozen or so pairs of sunglasses was not a collection, he concluded. This was Eliot’s doing.  Most definitely the hitter’s doing.

Crouching down, he ducked until he could see under the bed. There were bins of various sizes.  Nate could make out letters on a jacket, which meant Hardison probably had placed these bins under the bed.  His ability to make jackets and IDs for any kind of profession had saved their asses on plenty of occasions. Having them available and ready at a moment’s notice was a great asset.  So storing them at Nate’s place was logical.  More rigging, plus a box of locks for Parker to practice, a small bin with makeup inside, a few wigs, and a whole bin of IDs including pictures of all of them.

He also figured that in the dresser would be changes of clothes for all four of them, just in case after a con they needed items that couldn’t be retrieved from their own places.  He itched to see what Sophie might have stored but pulled himself back from looking. She had made it clear that she had moved on. He groaned a little realizing that he had missed his shot with her, instead opting for getting sober during their hiatus. Sophie had opted for settling down in Boston while he was shivering in a corner at rehab.

Testing the edge of the bed, Nate sat down, putting his head in his hands.  Now they’d never leave.  They had started to put down roots long before he made the trek back east, especially Sophie.  It was like they all knew where he’d show up next, or Hardison had a trace on him. He’d have to chastise the younger man the next time he saw him. Laying back on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering what his next move should be.

The mattress was comfortable and large, a king.  The comforter on it was nondescript, a beige color with pillows propped up at the head of it.  Three pillows to be exact. Now isn’t that curious, he thought. Shaking his head back and forth, he tried to get rid of the image that had popped into his head, but it wouldn’t go away. He didn’t want to care about their personal lives, did not want to know what they did on their days off. It wasn’t like he cared when they were in California.  They sometimes did play poker or watching sports together. He occasionally had long talks with either Parker or Sophie, but never dug too deep in their personal lives.   He worked with them. Nothing more than that.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t curious.  He was, to a fault.  But he didn’t want them finding him there, like Goldilocks from Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Those three bears had claws, just like the members of his team.

Over the years that Nate lived in that apartment, he would occasionally visit, look over what was going on. He never visited if he knew one or more of them was around.  Things started to appear, things that made the rooms seem more like home:

a picture of the five of them on one of the bedside tables

a pair of shoes tucked under the side of the bed

a certain kind of shampoo

a pen that clicked (Parker’s favorite)

two pairs of his sunglasses (dammit, he was wondering where they had disappeared; he suspected Parker)

a gummy frog dropped on the ground

a blanket that smelled like Sophie (he’d never tell how he knew this)

a brush with brown hair (had to belong to Eliot since the rest of them had different color hair)

camera equipment which included every kind of lens needed for a job

an e-reader, which had some interesting reading choices downloaded (he only read the titles, but it must be porn)

five burner cell phones and one ancient rotary phone hooked up to the landline in the room

twenty-five, yes twenty-five passports just strewn on the bed one day when Hardison had told him he was pissed as hell at all of them

bloody bandages discarded in the bathroom trashcan on a day where Nate knew there had not been a job that required Eliot to use his skills

a box of condoms (thank god he never found a used one anywhere)

six different pairs of regular glasses that they used on jobs sitting on one of the bedside tables one day

bunny slippers (Parker)

fuzzy slippers (Sophie)

gym socks, not washed (Hardison)

a pair of combat boots with the heel totally worn down, but fixed two days later (Eliot)

a piece of paper that looked like it had been cried over because the ink was smeared and not legible

pieces of popcorn

a small vacuum tucked into the corner

the smell of jasmine drifting through the air (Sophie must have been in the room mere moments before he entered)

He could go on, but there were so many instances that he just curled up on the bed and slept, comforted by the fact that all of them treasured that room, a room where each of them could go and find peace and safety, if just for a moment or two.

One day, right after his father had died, Nate literally stumbled into the room, hoping that it would show him what to do.  They had to take down Dubenich once and for all. His only living relative was now dead. His team thought he was losing his mind. As he entered the room, he noticed the five bags lined up neatly on the floor.  Everything else had been cleared out except for the bed. Getting that thing through the door would be a challenge because of its size.  The rest of the apartment was packed and gone. Those five bags stood waiting for their owners, lovingly packed by their hitter, added to by their grifter, with a supplement of chargers, burner phones and whatever other documents each of them would need at a moment’s notice by their hacker.

Nate chose the one that he thought was his.  It was a medium sized bag, black of course, strap long enough that he could place it around him or carry it on his shoulder. Opening it, he found pants, a few shirts, socks, underwear, toiletries, charger, burner phone, two passports with different names, cash, an extra pair of shoes, Sam’s drawing rolled up in a small tube.  Also, tucked into one of the pockets was a small picture of the five of them.  Nate struggled to stay upright, body now shaking in intensity. 

“You ready?” Eliot called from the door.

“What have I done?” he whispered, if only to ask himself what he was about to do.

“What you need to do, Nate. This has to end, here and now.”

Nate hoped that Eliot wasn’t referring to what the five of them had with each other. That he was not willing to give up so easily.

“Bag?” he heard Parker call out from the hallway.

“Got my laptop,” Hardison’s voice echoed out.

They all crowded in to the doorway, looking at Nate for advice.  Parker crowded up against Eliot’s back while Hardison peered around Eliot’s other shoulder.  Three peas in a pod.

“We should go,” he heard Sophie say as she inched her way around the three at the door.

“This isn’t fair, or right, or…”

“Nate, we know. One more job?”

They all shook their heads yes, just like they did after that first job in Los Angeles, after helping that vet.  One more job.

Sophie sat down beside him, taking his hand in hers.  The other three worked their way over to the bed. Hardison crouched down in front of him while Eliot sat on the other side of him. Parker had crawled behind him, chin now propped on his shoulder.

“We got this,” Parker said as her arm came around his shoulder.

Nate didn’t think he had this at all. The plan was already in place, Dubenich was primed. Things couldn’t be changed. Their lives would be upended once again.

 

Arriving in Portland, all Nate wanted to do was change out of his clothes and sleep.  Getting his sea legs underneath him would take longer, but now that Hardison had found a client without consulting him, he’d have to hit the ground running.  If he got a day, that would be lucky.

As he looked around the open room where their office now resided, Nate realized that he missed the old offices, aka his living quarters. He could keep an eye on everything including the team and complain to the others when they invaded his space.  Now all he had to do was come to the office in the morning, just like a regular job.

“Nate, I gotta show you something,” Hardison said as he entered from the Brewpub.

“You did good work here. Nice job.”

“I aim to please,” Hardison boasted.  “This way.”

Hardison directed Nate to a small door off to the side of the room, somewhat hidden in all the industrial look of the office. 

“See, right here we have your standard bathroom with everything we need just in case Eliot decides to get a whoopin’, which we know he does on a regular basis.  All the other accoutrements that a bathroom might need.”

Hardison pointed out all the supplies, including toiletries and towels.  Coming out of the bathroom, he took a right that led down the hallway where another door sat.  Hardison entered and flipped the light switch.

The room looked almost identical to the one in Boston, only this one was slightly bigger and even more homey.  There was now a small television that looked to be hooked up to some kind of game system.  There was a clock by the bedside, a bigger closet, and full-length mirror on the outside of the closet door. Sophie always complained that there wasn’t a mirror big enough in Nate’s apartment.  As Nate looked in the closet, inside were those five bags, neatly stacked. More clothes hung, along with shoes in bags. 

At the foot of the bed was what looked to be a comfortable loveseat sofa where two people could watch a movie.  A microwave and small refrigerator were off to the side along with an electric tea kettle.

“You thought of everything,” Nate commented.

“Yeah, well, unless you want to live upstairs…”

“Oh no no no.  Not gonna happen.”

“You can stay here, if you need to you know, take a nap or whatever.”

Nate smiled Hardison’s way.

“Trying to make sure I never leave?”

A look passed between the two of them.  They both knew exactly why Portland had been chosen. Hardison didn’t have to like it and Nate wasn’t going to dispute it.

“Possibly. Probably.  Yeah, maybe.”

“All in due time, Hardison.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please add anything you might think or want in that room in the comments. I'd love to hear from anyone who might have an idea of what the team would keep in that room.


End file.
